Crisis in Afghanistan: UN urges Taliban to allow departure of Afghans who wish to leave the country

The UN Security Council approved on Monday a resolution on Afghanistan focused on safe exit Afghans in the country, humanitarian aid and rejection of terrorism, including abstention from China and Russia and what was it criticized for its weak condemnation of human rights violations.

For France, one of the countries that sponsored the text with United Kingdom, United States and Ireland“The eyes of all Afghans are on this advice and they expect clear support from the international community and this lack of unity is a disappointment for us and for them,” said the French representative, Nathalie Estival-Broadhurst.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations himself, Antonio Guterres, participated in the negotiations to obtain a text supported by the 15 members of the council, and met this afternoon without success with the five permanent countries and with veto right -USA, Russia, China, France and United Kingdom-.

“This meeting with the five countries this afternoon should be seen as an extension of their good offices to try to unite the international community in the Security Council.Guterres spokesman Stephan Dujarric said Monday during his daily press conference.

France and UK They had proposed the creation of a security zone at the civilian airport in Kabul under UN control which would allow the continuation of evacuations from Afghanistan, the French president announced on Sunday. Emmanuel Macron.

However, the approved resolution do not address this issue and simply insist in the need for the Taliban to allow anyone who wishes to leave the country.

“The Security Council hopes that the Taliban will honor their commitment to facilitate the safe passage of Afghans and foreigners who wish to leave Afghanistan, either today, tomorrow or after August 31 (the last official day of the American presence in the country), declared the American representative to the Security Council, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

In this sense, the French diplomat also stressed that the text urges all parties to do their utmost to secure the airport and its surroundings and create a safe passage.

“Protection is a sine qua non to ensure that Afghans who wish to leave can do so safely, but also to ensure that the necessary assistance can reach all those in need, both through the airport and beyond land borders.Added Estival-Broadhurst.

Thomas–Greenfield He also underlined that the text approved today implies a “Enduring Security Council Commitment to Help Those Who Stay in Afghanistan” and underlines that “all parties must provide humanitarian assistance” and continue to provide the services currently active without hindrance.

Another of the key points underlined by the American diplomat is the insistence on the “urgent need to face the serious terrorist threat in Afghanistan”. practically the only point where Russia and China coincide with the rest of the international players.

Regarding allegations of human rights violations by the Taliban, the representative of Ireland, Geraldine Byrne Nason, He was disappointed with the final wording of the document.

“Of course, we would have preferred stronger language regarding human rights, especially given the current situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, ”Nason told the rest of the United Nations supreme body.

Russia, for his part, justified his abstention by assuring that the text ignored his main concerns in the Asian country, among which he cited the language used to identify terrorist threats, as well as the damage that the brain drain and the flight of brains can cause the economy to freeze economic assets.

“During the negotiations, we stressed that the negative impact of the evacuation of qualified Afghan specialists on the Afghan economy was unacceptable. With this brain drain, the country will not be able to achieve the sustainable development goals “, stressed Russian diplomat Vassily Nebenzia.

Besides Nebenzia accused the United States and “your allies“To claim through this resolution to blame the Taliban for their failure in Afghanistan.

“At the same time, we can see it as an attempt to shift responsibility for the failure and collapse of the 20-year presence of the United States and its allies in the region on the Taliban,” insured.

The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward, summed up the resolution, assuring that with it the Security Council established “Their minimum expectations of the Taliban.”

“We have made it clear that the Taliban must live up to their own commitments to ensure safe passage (for Afghans) beyond August 31. Afghanistan can never again become a haven for terrorists. “, underlined the diplomat.

On the other hand, the foreign ministers of The United States, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Turkey and Qatar, as well as the European Union (EU) and NATO, came together virtually coordinate next steps after the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan.

The meeting, which is chaired by the US Secretary of State, Antoine BlinkThis happened just a day after the end of the US military presence in the Central Asian country.

In a statement released ahead of the meeting, the State Department stressed that the attendees, whom it called “Key allies”, will speak of “a coordinated approach for the days and weeks to come” in Afghanistan.

The United States has already completed the phase of withdrawal of its troops in Kabul, aimed at ensuring the security of the airport in the Afghan capital during the evacuations of American citizens and their Afghan allies.

The White House assured that neither the United States nor its allies are in a hurry for recognizing a Taliban government in the near future after the total withdrawal planned, at the latest, for this Tuesday.

Last Friday, the State Department spokesperson, Ned Prize, admitted that his country was “actively discussing” whether it would maintain a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan after that date, but first there must be “basic security” conditions on the ground.

In addition, he cited “a series of criteria which must be respected” by the future Afghan government so that the United States can “work” with him, among which he mentioned the “respect” of the rights of its citizens, in particular of women, and to “comply with its anti-terrorism commitments”.

However, he noticed, it will depend “on the facts and the behavior” of this government and “not on the words”.

(With information from EFE)

Read on: